Armament



Sept 16, 1969 R, LAPOF 3,467,012

ARMAMENT Filed Dec. 4. 1967 INVENTOR. RAY LAPOF 3,467,012 ARMAMENT Ray Lapof, 37 W. 12th St., New York, N.Y. 10011 Filed Dec. 4, 1967, Ser. No. 687,836 Int. Cl. F4211 13/44 US. Cl. 102-90 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An armament deliverable by mortar, air and like means and calculated to render an area impassable for a predetermined time period, comprising a container filled with fuel means ignited on impact, the fuel means being expressed through nozzles in opposed position on the container, the ignited fuel means developing opposed jet streams of burning gases, thereby to rotate the container about an axis normal to the surface on which said container is supported, the centrifugal force generated by said rotating container increasing the effective dispersion distance of said jet streams.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention is in the field of modern armaments.

In current warfare, and particularly in situations involving so-called human Wave attacks, ambushes and the like, it is frequently desired temporarily to render a particular area or areas impassable to enemy troops.

In many instances, situations arise in which numerically inferior troop concentrations may wish rapidly to develop an effective defense perimeter or cordon sanitaire which cannot be crossed by attaching personnel.

Description of the prior art In the past, land mines have been deployed for purposes of preventing or impeding passage across a particular terrain. However, the use of land mines has several drawbacks, including the protracted period required for deployment, the ability of a large percentage of soldiers to cross the mined area without harm, and the necessity, where the terrain is subsequently to be traversed by friendly troops, that the position of the mines be charted so as not to injure such friendly troops.

While temporary impediments against human wave attacks have been achieved by the concentration of fire power in predetermined areas, such concentrated fire power cannot be relied upon in instances where the enemy is willing to sacrifice a large percentage of its troops or where there are insufficient defending troops to provide the required fire power.

Psychologically also, massed fire power is a somewhat ineffective deterrent since the bullets or projectiles crossing the defense zone are not normally visible. Thus, each enemy soldier may believe or be conditioned to believe, in the absence of visual evidence of the concentration of the fire, that he may cross the zone or area of massed fire power, although he recognizes that a percentage of his comrades will not.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a portable armament which may be readily deployed by mortar, air and like delivery means, as the tactical situation requires, and which will, for a predetermined period, develop a ring of fire or lethal zone extending a considerable distance from the point of impact of the device. The obvious and readily visible danger of crossing the area defined by the ring of fire will deter any troop movement therethrough during the period of ignition of the device.

The device may include any of a number of known fuels, i.e. solid fuels including an integral oxidant, liquid fuels expressed by a high pressure device, gaseous fuels, the fuels being expressed preferably through opposed jets which serve to rotate the device about a vertical axis at relatively rapid speeds, thus to increase the effective range of the ring of fire both by the centrifugal force developed in the course of rotation and by the tendency of the container to move erratically across the terrain.

The device may incorporate particulate masses expressed with the combustion products to exact an even higher toll of any enemy personnel attempting to cross the area defined by the ring of fire.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an armament which is particularly effective against enemy personnel and light vehicles.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a device of the class described which will be effective for a predetermined time period, so that for such time period crossing the predetermined area will be prohibited.

To attain these objects and such further objects as may appear herein or be hereinafter pointed out, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of an armament in accordance with the invention after ignition;

FIGURE 2 is a section taken on the line 22 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view similar to FIGURE 2 of a further embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a portion of the embodiment of FIGURE 3.

In accordance with the invention, an armament 10 comprises a canister or outer container 11 of the general type conventionally delivered by mortars or airplanes or, on a smaller scale, by rifle grenades. 12 is an essentially conventional impact fuse which may be stored in disarmed condition, armed by launching, and ignited on impact.

The canister preferably includes an annular rib or fulcrum 13 disposed substantially about the longitudinal balance point of the canister. The interior of the canister is filled with a fuel component 14 which may vary in accordance with the use to which the armament is to be put. For instance, the fuel 14 as particularly illustrated in FIGURE 2 may comprise a solid fuel component of the type used to launch rockets. As is well known, the speed of combustion of such solid fuel compositions may be accurately controlled in accordance with the desired results. If the solid fuel is of a rapid combustion speed type, it will be appreciated from the following descrip-' tion that a longer range of jet may be achieved, however at the expense of duration of operation of the device. Conversely, a slower burning solid fuel will create a shorter jet range but for a greater duration.

In lieu of solid fuel 14, carrying its own oxidant, there may be substituted liquid fuels, including high octane liquid gasolines under pressure, or gaseous fuels, as more particularly exemplified in the embodiment of FIG- URE 3.

The fuel is normally maintained within the container by seal members 15, 15, diagrammatically shown, the

seal means being explosively removed from their sealing relation of the nozzle components 16, 16. For "this purpose, the fuse 12 includes a combustible core 17 which includes core extension components 18, 18 forming a continuation of the core and extending to the area of the seals 15, 15. Preferably, a small explosive charge (not shown) is ignited by the extensions 18, 18, the charge being disposed directly adjacent the seals 15, 15, blowing the same clear of the canister.

Referring specifically to the embodiment of FIGURE 2, the ignition of the solid fuel component 14 will also be effected by the use andwhere a solid fuel is employed, the seals 15, 15, may be blown clear by the expanding gases developed by combustion of the filler'fuel material 14.

After ignition, burning combustion gases under tremendous pressure are released through the opposed jet forming nozzles 16,16, causing the container 11 to rotate at a great speed in the direction of the arrows, FIG URE 1, due to the reactive forces generated by the jets. The raised fulcrum rim 13 will provide a ready pivot point, facilitating such rotation, and the spinning action will readily stabilize the container in a rotative movement about a generally vertical axis, thus assuring that the jets discharged through the nozzles 16, 16 will be expelled in a substantially horizontal plane, to achieve the maximum range of such jets.

The range of the jets will be further augmented by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the canister.

It will thus be seen that the rotative force developed by the opposed jets and made possible by the provision of the annular fulcrum ring performs at least two important functions, namely, gyroscopically balancing the spinning container to deploy the jets in their most effective or horizontal position, and increasing the range of the jets.

Optionally but preferably, bits of combustion material 19, such as white phosphorous particles, may be interspersed in the solid fuel material 14, these particles obviously being ignited and carried along by the jets. In view of their greater mass than the combustion gases, the chunks or particulate matter 19 will be propelled a distance greater than the effective perimeter of the ring of fire created by the jets, thereby further extending the range of the device.

In the embodiment of FIGURES 3 and 4, wherein like parts have been given like reference numerals, a highly compressed, flammable gas 14, which may be in liquid phase within the container and transformed into gaseous phase upon pressure release, (i.e. when the seals 15, 15 are removed) forms the fuel component. The seals 15', 15' are blown away from the jet orifices 16', 16' in the manner previously described.

In this embodiment, and referring particularly to FIG- URE 4, particulate material 20, which preferably comprises a substance combustible at a slower rate than the gas, white phosphorous particles being a preferred example, is stored in a discrete compartment area 21 adjacent the nozzles 16', 16'.

The container includes an open mouth portion 22defined adjacent the nozzles 16', 16'. As the burning gases escape rapidly through the nozzles 16', 16', a venturi effect is created wherein the granules or particulate substances are sucked into the stream, ignited by the burning'gases, and projected along with the gases in the manner previously described.

It will be readily recognized from the foregoing that by varying the fuel components and the size and characteristics of the nozzles, the effective range and operative duration of the device may beadjusted to suit a'variety of tactical purposes.

It is altogether possible with the device of the. present invention to achieve an effective or lethal area of a diameter of up to about 100 yards, the area being rendered H impenetrable for a period of about thirty seconds, with a container of a size suitable for delivery by conventional mortar means. Obviously, if it is desired to sacrifice range, devices of the same size may achieve a longer effective period.

A further desirable feature of the invention is its tendency toward erratic translatory movement along the ground, in addition to its spinning movement. In view of this characteristic, there is always an area directly surrounding the ring of fire which will be rendered impassable since the enemy cannot be certain of the course that the container will take.

Numerous variations within the spirit of the invention will occur to the skilled worker. These variations may take the form of modified fuels, modified particulate matter expressed by the fuels, varied jet creating structures, etc. For instance, it is possible to express napalm or equivalent liquid or semi-liquid substances in lieu of phosphorous, magnesium bits or other particulate materials.

The specific fuse structures, sealant components and the like have been diagrammatically shown in the illustrated embodiment in the interests of simplicity of disclosure, since details of such devices are well known to skilled workers in the art.

It will be readily appreciated that the device of the foregoing invention is far more effective in covering a large area than would be the case with a napalm or like incendiary bomb. In such bombs, although the burning effect may be long lived, fuel is constantly being burned throughout the entire area, necessitating the use of a large quantity thereof. In contrast, the device of the present invention concentrates its effects at only a small sector of a large area at any one time yet, due to the revolving nature of the device, renders the entire area impenetrable. It will therefore be seen that the device of the invention is far more efficient in terms of fuel required per unit area than napalm or other known incendiary mechanisms.

As an indication of area covering efliciency and assuming the use of high octane gasoline vapors under 1800 p.s.i., up to a 44 foot diameter circle can be covered. To achieve a 44 foot coverage (22 foot radius) an orifice size of .03 inch is used. A .04 inch orifice will cover 16 foot radius, .05 orifice 14 foot and .07 orifice 8 foot radius.

The size of particles of phosphorus or magnesium lifted by the venturi will vary in accordance with the exhaust pressure and intended range. For 1800 p.s.i. high octane gasoline, particles of about .009 inch may be employed.

Having thus described the invention and illustrated its use,-what is claimed as new and is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

. 1. An armament comprising a container, fuel means in said container, jet orifice means including at least two nozzles disposed in opposed relation on said container, fuse .means for igniting said fuel means at said orifice means,-thereby to create jet streams of said ignited fuel aimed in opposite directions whereby the thrust generated by said ignited fuel means is cumulatively effective to rotate said container about an axis normal to a surface supporting said container, particulate combustible masses disposed within said container in a position to be ejected and ignited by and carried along with said jet streams, said masses burning at a different rate than said fuel mens whereby said masses are projected from said container for a distance which is a function of the speed of said jet streams and the centrifugal force developed by the rotation of said container.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said particulate masses are disposed in said container adjacent said jet orifices and are shifted into said streams by venturi created by said streams.

(References on following page) 5 6 References Cited OTHER REFERENCES UNITED STATES PATENTS The Philadelphia Press, magazine, Sunday, Oct. 21,

1917. 2754561 7/ 1956 Ddds ROBERT F. STAHL, Primary Examiner 3,269,313 8/1966 Willmann et a1. 102-6 X 5 CL 3,296,967 1/1967 Bouwds et a1. 102-6 1026, 37.5, 66 

